


Hasta la Muerte

by Revuelta



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game), Cyberpunk 2077 - Fandom
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Spanish, Badass, Badass V (Cyberpunk 2077), Best Friends, Canon Rewrite, Chicana, Chingona, Cybernetics, Dirty Dancing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Female Protagonist, First Meetings, Fix-It, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Jackie Welles Lives, Love Triangles, Multi, Mutual Pining, Non-Canon Relationship, Person of Color V (Cyberpunk 2077), Pining, Pre-Canon, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Street Kid V (Cyberpunk 2077), Swearing, Teasing, Unresolved Sexual Tension, V & Jackie are both stubborn fools, latina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:02:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28789176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Revuelta/pseuds/Revuelta
Summary: Before V and Jackie Welles spectacular failure at auto theft and their unlikely friendship, they happened to cross paths at El Coyote Cojo.All characters are owned by CD Project Red, and I just love them and play within the world they've already made.
Relationships: Female V & Jackie Welles, Female V/Jackie Welles, V & Jackie Welles, V/Jackie Welles
Comments: 21
Kudos: 51





	1. Looking at Me

**Author's Note:**

> In this first chapter I was extremely inspired by Sabrina Chapman's song "Looking at Me" and worked in some of the lyrics. Give it a listen for atmosphere!
> 
> For those who don't understand Spanish, translations are hidden beneath the relevant dialog. Just highlight the space bellow to view. :)

At El Coyote Cojo, Saturday nights meant the drinks were flowing, the music was pumping, and the floor was full of people looking to dance and have a good time. It also meant the Valentinos were in high attendance, but they wouldn’t be causing (too much) trouble. Mama Welles, the owner of El Coyote, was well respected by everyone in Heywood, even members of the Valentino gang. Sure, there might be a drug deal or two going down in the alley or the darker booths of the upper floor, and unabated gang wars ran rampant through all of Night City, but the Valentinos wouldn’t bring any violence into the bar with them. Padre would never allow it. 

Jackie Welles had left the Valentinos years ago after nearly dying in a fight with another gang. He was just nineteen. Seeing him come home half-dead had scared his Mama so much that he walked away for her sake. After all, he was the last Welles boy left, and they only had each other. He’d left on good terms with Padre, the priest who led the Valentinos and kept them in order, and the rest of the members; they always greeted him warmly when their paths crossed. 

Now, though, Jackie was a solo, and despite his intentions when leaving the Valentinos, his life hadn’t gotten any less dangerous. One day he would act as a bodyguard, another day a hitman, and sometimes a one-man rescue team. The next day he would be forcing his way into some gang-infested warehouse to steal a data chip for a fixer, and who knows what that fixer would do with it next. It wasn’t his job to question, just to get it done. It wasn’t an easy way to make a living, and not always the most lucrative, but someday he hoped he would make it to the big leagues and provide his Mama and extended family with an easier life. 

Tonight, Jackie was leaning against the bar, sipping a cerveza and watching the people on the floor move to the music. After the job he'd had today, he was happy to just sit back and watch other people make fools of themselves. 

“Oye, Jackie, ¿qué te pasó?” asked a voice from behind the bar.  
_"Hey, Jackie, what happened to you?"_

Jackie turned to face Pepe, his friend and the bartender at El Coyote. Even though he was a bit older than Jackie, Pepe was a former Valentino as well and had grown up in Heywood just like Jackie, so there was a lot of understanding between them.

“Son puras mamadas, Pepe. Supposed to be a nice clean job, and now all I got to show for it is this-” Jackie said, pointing to the nasty black eye currently decorating his face, -”and a bruised pride.” As Pepe opened his mouth to ask further, Jackie just shook his head and took another swig of his beer. Sometimes working as a solo, the less your loved ones knew about a job, the better. You could never tell what might come back to bite them.  
_"It was fucked up, Pepe."_

Pepe inhaled a hiss. “Bueno…” he set a shot glass on the bar and poured the whiskey ‘til it nearly spilled over, “somethin’ a little stronger. Looks like it hurts, hermano.”  
_"Well…”_

“Tch, you should see the other guy.” Jackie tossed back the shot and sighed with satisfaction. “Thanks, choom.” He slammed the glass on the counter when something caught his eye — or rather, someone.

In the middle of the floor, amongst the crowds of grinding couples, bathed in waves of lights and body heat was a woman dancing by herself. She didn’t seem the least bit concerned with her surroundings or the fact that she was the only person without a partner. She moved her body instinctively to the beat of the music like it was part of her. As she did, Jackie couldn’t help but take notice. 

“Híjole! Pepe, who’s that mamacita?!,” he said, whistling his approval.  
_"Damn! Pepe, who's that babe?!"_

Pepe peered over Jackie’s shoulder. “Who, V?,” He chuckled, smirking. “She just rolled back into Night City. She skipped town a couple years ago, tryin' t'find her fortune somewhere else. But the city dragged her back, just like everyone else. Born here, die here, ¿tu sabes?"  
_"...you know?"_

“Well,” Jackie drawled out, pushing himself away from the bar, “better go introduce myself.”

“Hah! Good luck with that, hombre. Ella es demasiado para ti. Everybody knows not to mess with her. She’ll chew you up an’ spit you out.”  
_"...man. She's too much for you."_

Jackie cracked a wide, lopsided grin. “You know I love a challenge.”

He started to get up from the bar when Pepe grabbed his forearm. “Come on, hermano. What about Misty,” he chided.

“Oye, a little dancin’ never hurt nobody,'' Jackie retorted, lifting his hands in mock innocence. He shrugged and backed away towards the dance floor, smirking and undeterred.

“¡Estás jugando con fuego!” Pepe yelled after him, smiling and shaking his head.  
_"You're playing with fire!"_

Jackie wove his way through the crowded dance floor towards la fuega in question. As he approached her he realized just how much smaller she was than him. From the bar he hadn’t noticed it, but up close his large frame would have dwarfed her were she not wearing sky-high heels. Through her open-backed top he had a clear view of the tattoos that spread across the entire expanse of her toned back: blackout tattoos meant to mimic the look of cybernetics contoured her muscles. Somehow the way she swayed her hips and moved her arms to the beat created a mesmerizing vision of hard lines and geometric shapes dancing over the fit curves of her body. The ink continued all the way up her neck and onto the back of her shaved head, and he contemplated just how far down her body they might go. He came up close and started moving his body to complement her own, ghosting a hair's breadth away from touching. He would wait for her to make the next move.

“Hola, mami. You looked like you could use some company.”

She glanced up over her shoulder at him, her blacked-out cybernetic eyes boring into his with piercing white pupils. He froze. The same tattoos he had studied from behind ran over her shoulders and to the front of her body. His eyes were drawn to where the geometric lines flowed down her chest, disappearing into the shadow of her cleavage, then back to where they continued up the front of her neck and into her face , sharply contouring her musculature and bone structure and alluding to the form of the skull beneath. There were black chrome cybernetics running beneath the solid black shadows of her eyes and across the bridge of her nose, only accentuating her skull-like appearance. The only other adornments she wore were a few black titanium piercings scattered across her face and ears. It all culminated in giving her the appearance of a fiercely lethal and strikingly sexy cybernetic Santa Muerte. Jackie would never have expected such a look to get him going, but oh it was working for him.

As she looked up at him through lidded eyes, her mouth curved softly into a hypnotic smile. Jackie's eyes were drawn to her full, slightly parted lips, only the upper adorned with a black sheen. His own lips parted in response, despite his previously cocksure confidence in his own self-control.  
  
“Did I catch your attention? You look like you lost your breath,” she whispered in his ear. Her voice was hushed, and sultry. She pressed her body into his and it felt as if she molded into him. The music rattled the walls and bodies around them and into his bones, but he was still. She reached for his hands and took them in her own, placing them on her hips. Now that his arms were around her, she reached up a hand to grasp the back of his neck, pulling him closer and making him feel as if their bodies were melting together. “Don’t just stand there staring, papi. Try to move your feet,” she teased, her hips moving enticingly against his.  
  
Her teasing and the feeling of her touch snapped him out of his trance and he joined her in her dance, gripping the soft flesh of her hips tightly as he relished in the sensation of their friction. With her free hand she slowly urged his own to move from her hips and up along her body, calloused fingertips tracing the bare skin of her exposed waist and rib cage. She shivered against him slightly in response to his touch.

He grabbed her just beneath her chest and turned her around to face him, pulling her in close with his hands against her lower back. The intensity of their dance rose with the sound of the beat, heat and lights swirling all around them.  
  
“¿Dónde chingado has estado, hermosa?”  
_"Where the fuck have you been, beautiful?"_

“Oh, you know, around,” she replied coyly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "But I can see that you're glad I'm here now." She pressed herself harder against his pelvis to emphasize her point. 

He gasped in response, gripping her more tightly against him and pressing his fingers into the exposed flesh of her back. "I'm startin' ta see why people call you a man eater."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet." Her tempting lips parted again as she leaned in closer, coming excruciatingly close to pressing them to his own before ghosting along the underside of his jaw and nipping at his ear. Her hands glided down. Long, black painted nails dragged over his chest with just the right amount of pressure. “I can teach you the things that you wanna know…” she mused, weaving her fingers into the chains around his neck. “But I can't give it up all at once… you would overdose…” 

Jackie could already feel himself being wrapped around those slender fingers, just as easily as the chains had been. He tried to pull himself together. 

“Hold- hold on, Chica. Everyone’s watchin'," he said when he noticed a number of eyes pointed in their direction. 

“They ain’t even lookin’ at you, baby…they lookin’ at me,” she purred against his ear, voice all smoke and velvet. He felt her hot breath against his skin, and he could just imagine-

"Stop," he said breathlessly, taking her by the shoulders and pushing her a few inches back. Her hands were still resting on the muscles of his chest, and a crinkle of confusion appeared between her brows.

"What's wrong?," she asked with genuine concern. 

"Look, I… haven't been entirely open with you. There's a… well I got a-"

"You got a girl waitin' for you at home?," she asked with a crooked smile, seemingly unphased by his confession.

"Bueno… I uh... sorta. It's… kind of a new thing," he admitted sheepishly. "Sorry, chica."

"Hey, don't sweat it," she said casually, softly patting his chest with one hand before taking a step back. "I may be a man eater, but I ain't a homewrecker." 

There was an awkward pause as Jackie rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, hey, maybe I'll see you 'round," she said with a shrug and another cheeky grin. "Oh, and by the way, if you were tryin' to impress me, you didn't need to match with me," she snickered, pointing to one of her eyes. Without thinking Jackie reached up and touched his forgotten black eye, wincing as the bruised skin flared underneath his touch. Before he could say a word in response, she had already pivoted, sauntering away on her red bottom stilettos. He let himself take in that last moment, watching her hips sway away into the darkness.

"Damn…" He walked stiffly back toward the bar, rubbing the good side of his face. 

"What did I say, choom?" Pepe chuckled as Jackie slumped onto a barstool. Pepe set another shot on the bar. "So much for just dancin' huh? Nearly broke your neck watchin’ her walk away."

"Cállate, cabrón," Jackie grumbled, downing the shot and motioning for another.  
_"Shut up, dumbass."_

Pepe laughed again. "Heck, maybe she's already got you hooked. Don't feel too bad, 'mano. V's got that way with people. Knows how to get what she wants." 

"Yeah, well, not tonight." He sipped his last shot and went to rub his brows in frustration, irritating his wound yet again. "Pinche- Oye, Pepe, I better get goin'. Mama's gonna have somethin' t’ say about this," he said, gesturing to his eye, careful not to touch it this time.   
_"Shit! Hey..."_

"Pues, give Mama Welles my love,” Pepe said as Jackie got to his feet.

"Claro. Ahí te veo." They gripped each other's forearms as a goodbye and Jackie headed out into the shadows and bright lights of Night City.  
_"Of course. See you around."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was inspired to write this chapter because I figured a Street Kid V who grew up in Haywood, knows all the locals, and frequents the very bar owned by Jackie's Mama, they MUST have crossed paths at some point. So this chapter is a prequel/introduction of the characters from Jackie's perspective. The next chapter will be from V's perspective.
> 
> Let me know how you enjoyed this chapter, and feedback is most welcome. :)


	2. Somewhere to Lay My Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still fresh back to Night City, V has nowhere to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my dear friend Wholesome_Gay for helping me edit these first two chapters! 
> 
> For those who don't understand Spanish, translations are hidden beneath the relevant dialog. Just highlight the space bellow to view. :)

V strode away from the ruggedly handsome, lumbering man with her head held high. She wasn't about to let anyone see her falter. Making her way towards one of the dark, hidden corners of the club, she snatched up her duffle from beneath the booth where she'd stashed it. Slinking along the shadowed walls of El Coyote, she found her way to one of the single occupant bathrooms. 

As she entered she scanned the door with her optics, briefly linking her mind to the local network so she could turn on the holographic 'out of order' sign. V locked the door behind her and dropped the bag to the floor. Bracing herself against the bathroom sink, the ridiculous heels she had been wearing were gladly tossed aside and exchanged for her broken-in combat boots. Wiggling her toes, she let out a sigh of satisfaction. Next came off the impractical backless number. From her bag she dug out a chest band and her favorite muscle tee. Turning to the mirror, she began wrapping the bandage around her chest; there was no need to play up her cleavage if she wasn't trying to pick someone up. The band was more than enough and much more effective for heading back out onto the streets. After shrugging on her tee, she placed both hands on either side of the sink and examined her reflection in the mirror. 

V wasn't above sleeping around if it meant having a place to lay her head at night, and if things ever went south she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Her knuckles, calloused from frequent street fighting, and the switchblade stashed in her boot were evidence of that. Unfortunately, for the first time since she'd arrived back in Night City, she hadn't been able to find anyone to take her home. 

It had stung a bit, the rejection. The fact that she didn't normally get rejected was only part of it. At first the rough-looking man approaching with his strong, male bravado did nothing to impress her. He had seemed like the typical Valentino type. All his jewelry had been gold plated: chains, rings, an earring with a dangling cross and a huge crucifix dangling on his chest above his low cut shirt. Even the cybernetics on his face were gold-chromed. His bright, natural green eyes had been a stark contrast next to the purple bruising and the web of gold cybernetics running across his face. He had worn leather chaps over his black jeans, giving away the fact that he rode a motorcycle. The black metal-plated jacket and the gun he'd been packing in his belt had topped it all off:, he was the picture of a rough and tumble Heywood boy. In the end though, that facade had begun to crack. She had seen it in his sudden bashfulness, and the softening of those kind green eyes. It would have been nice to spend the night with someone who had that bit of sensitivity in them. There wasn't much of that to go around in Night City, so of course he was already taken. 

V sighed and turned on the faucet. She splashed the cool water over her face, neck, and shaved head, drying off with the paper towels from the dispenser. Next she shuffled around in her bag for her toothbrush. No place to sleep also meant no place to wash, so she had to take advantage of the sink while she could. 

Feeling that she'd cleaned up as best she could, she shrugged on her well-loved black leather jacket, emblazoned with the savage looking logo of the band 'Samurai' who had peaked in the 20s and were long since forgotten by most people. V didn't really know much about the band, but the jacket sent a powerful message. On her head she placed a black cap with the word "Chingona" embroidered across the front in red, gothic font.

After stuffing the rest of her belongings into her bag, she slid to the floor, leaning against the bathroom door. She took in a deep breath and let it out with a heavy sigh. She still needed to find someplace to stay for the night. Being gone for two years meant that all of the fixers in town were less likely to send any jobs her way, so money had been practically non-existent. She was Heywood born and bred and there were plenty of people she could reach out to, but her pride wouldn't let her go asking for handouts. She couldn't let them see how sideways shit had gone for her after she'd left Night City to try to find something better.

She stayed there a while, sitting on the floor of the dingy bathroom with her head and arms resting on her knees. After waiting for the music to die down and what she felt was a sufficient amount of time to let the other patrons start filtering out for the evening, V slung her duffle over her back. She shut off the light, turned the lock, and cracked the door to take a peek. As she had suspected, the bar was now nearly empty except for a few stragglers slumped in the booths. To her relief, there was no sign of the hombre who had approached and then rejected her.

Pushing the door open, she stepped out, inhaling the stale scent of beer and sweat that filled the space. Better than the stuffy bathroom at least. She spied Pepe across the way clearing off tables. There was an internal battle going on in her mind, pride struggling with necessity. She let out another sigh, shoulders slumping ever so slightly. Pepe was a good guy, and they went way back. Hopefully he wouldn't look down on her for this. 

She walked over to where Pepe was now wiping up the bartop, trying not to look like a dog with its tail between its legs. 

"Hey, Pepe," she said with a forced smile. "How's it hangin'?"

"From the look on your face, Chica, better than for you," he said, facing her and putting down his towel. 

"Huh, yeah…" She awkwardly rocked on her feet and rubbed her free hand over the back of her head. "Mira, güey. The truth is… I got nowhere to go."  
_ “Look, man…” _  


Pepe leaned his arms onto the bar for a moment. His right arm, gold-chromed and beautifully engraved, scratched his stubbled chin in contemplation. Then he smiled a wide grin. 

"How bout' this, V. You help me finish cleaning this place up, and you can crash here for the night. Plenty of comfy couches to sleep on upstairs. Heck, you help me out at closing time, you can crash as many days as you like. What Mama Welles don't know won't hurt her." Pepe knew her well enough to know that even if she did find out about V crashing, Mama Welles had too big of a heart to turn someone out on the street, especially a Heywood native like her.

V dropped her bag to the floor and leaned across the bar to give Pepe an almost strangling hug around the neck. "¡Gracias, Pepe! ¡No tengo ni idea de cómo pagarte!"  
_ "Thank you, Pepe! I have no idea how I'm going to pay you back!" _  


Pepe let out a gruff laugh. "Hey, you payin' me back in hard labor. Este lugar es un puto desastre."  
_ "This place is a fucking disaster." _  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know exactly how long this fic will be, but at the moment I have sort of an arc planned out up until the very beginning of the second act of the game. 
> 
> The dialogue in the next couple of chapters will be heavily grabbed from the Street Kid prologue because it is so important to setting up V's character. After that I plan to explore some of what happened during the time jump montage from the prologue, and I'm going to keep playing with the relationship development between Jackie and V.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Feedback is welcome. :)


	3. Car Jacked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple weeks had passed since V had started crashing at El Coyote, and Pepe needed to ask her a favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dialogue from this chapter is heavily grabbed from the Street Kid prologue, but I've filled it in with my characterization of V and her internal dialogue. Including the prologue in the story felt very important to me for her character, but after the next couple chapters the story will return to my own exploration of the relationship between V and Jackie! 
> 
> Not much Spanish to speak of in this chapter, so no subtitles. :)

A couple weeks had passed since V had started crashing at El Coyote. Now that she didn’t have to be constantly working to find a place to sleep, and was even getting a bit of food at closing that Pepe would otherwise have had to toss, she’d been able to focus more on finding jobs. She still hadn’t found much: a few retrieval jobs, low-level netrunning data theft jobs for angry divorcees, a couple sub-contract jobs for the NCPD breaking up fights. Overall, she was able to feed herself, but still had nowhere near enough to get herself a place to live.

Even so, she had tried slipping fractions of what little cash she’d earned into the register when nobody was looking. Mama Welles didn’t know she was staying there and Pepe wasn’t about to ask her for any money, but she wanted to feel like she wasn’t _entirely_ freeloading. Every night, however, the cash somehow mysteriously reappeared inside her duffel bag, sometimes even with a couple eddies extra. It was infuriating, but also overwhelmed her with gratitude. 

This evening, V was sitting on a stool at the end of the bar, examining the freshly busted up skin of her knuckles. A shot of whiskey was placed on the bartop beside her. 

“A little… anesthesia,” Pepe said, half-jokingly. 

She looked up at herself in the mirror on the wall, examining her broken nose. She placed her fingers on either side of the twisted bridge, gritted her teeth, and snapped the cartilage back into place with a loud crack. 

“Urgh! Motherfucker...” she groaned through her teeth as she leaned her weight onto the bar and attempted to compose herself. She grabbed the shot and threw it back with a hiss.

“Everything chill, hermana?” Pepe asked. 

“Some bastard tried to mug me," V seethed. "I handled it,” she added with a satisfied smugness. 

“Who? Local guy?”

V raised an eyebrow and gave Pepe a sideways grin in reply. “You really think somebody local’d try to mug _me_ , Pepe?”

He chuckled half heartedly, before leaning onto the bar. “Listen V…” he started, eyes staring at the counter surface. Her face dropped from snarky to uneasy. Was this it? Would he be telling her she couldn’t stay at the bar anymore? She squashed down the panic that was rising in her chest. “...I got a problem. Serious this time,” he finished. V stopped herself from gasping out the breath she’d been holding, relieved that her fears weren’t necessary. She lifted her cap and ran her hand over her scalp, collecting herself before looking back up at Pepe who was still avoiding eye contact.   
  
“Pues, Pepe, spin it - what is it now?” she said, equal parts teasing and sympathetic.

“It’s, uh, Kirk…I owe 'im. Don’t pay by tomorrow, said he’d bust my legs. An’ he don’t joke about that stuff. Got cartels in his corner.” Pepe was visibly shaken. 

“You in it with Kirk?!” she exclaimed, all softness gone from her voice. “Every man, woman, and rat in Haywood knows he’s a fuckin’ shark.”

“My bro jumped the joint, deserved a hero’s welcome...I know I fucked up, V…”

“Ugh, you ever gonna get wise, Pepe?” She sighed. “Least tell me your brother’s doin’ okay.”

“Ah, doing his thing, you know.” He fidgeted with his hands, elbows resting on the bar. “So can you help, V?” His eyes looked into hers, pleading.

“Pepe, I owe you big time for all the help you been givin’ me.” She stood up from the bar. “I’ll talk to Kirk.” 

He gestured towards the upper floor. “He’s set up in a booth upstairs.You’re savin’ my life, V. Truly.”  
  
“Well, you pretty much saved mine,” she said shrugging and backing away towards the stairs.

V made her way up the stairs, wandering the floor until she saw Kirk sitting in a booth, back facing her, with his meathead bodyguard standing a few feet away. “Eugh…” she grumbled in disgust at the prospect of who she was about to be dealing with. Still, she squared her shoulders and pulled forward all the swagger and confidence she had in her. The lifted combat boots certainly helped make up for what she lacked in stature, and she whispered a silent prayer. 

She approached the booth, giving the bodyguard the dirtiest side eye she could before turning to face Kirk. “Hey, Kirk. Wanna talk," she said looking down her nose at him. 

He looked up at her over his shades, brows raised. “V, been awhile. Spin it, whatcha need?”

She slid into the booth opposite him, spreading her arms over the back and kicking her feet up on the table, taking up as much space as she possibly could. “Pepe asked me to talk you up,” she said, casually examining her fingernails. 

“What, he too shy to hand over the eddies himself? Ah, tell im’ I don’t bite. Not yet.” Kirk chuckled.

The oversized bodyguard slid into the booth beside her and placed a pistol on the table, trying to intimidate her. She glowered at him, playing up the full effect of her deathly-looking tattoos. “Fucks’ your problem?” she questioned, tipping her chin up at him. He visibly squirmed and grumbled, taken aback, and returned to the burger he’d previously been eating. 

Once he seemed sufficiently put in his place, she turned her attention back to Kirk.

“How much he owe?” she asked.

“Afraid that’s client confidentiality. Call it a lot and leave it at that,” Kirk said, staring at the magazine in his hand, not even looking her way now. 

“A credshark with business ethics,” she sneered. “Sounds too good to be true.” 

“Well, merry fuckin’ Christmas,” he snapped back.

“Cut 'im some slack, will ya’? He’ll pay - just needs some more time.”

“Do I look like a priest runnin’ a charity to you?,” he scoffed. “You borrow eddies, you gotta’ pay em’ back - _with_ interest. It’s common. Fuckin'. Knowledge.” He punctuated each words with a stab of his cigarette in her direction. “You suggestin’ I let a flakey cunt who can't keep a deal off the hook?”

“No, you let him off because it’s me askin’,” she said, standing to lean over the table and look down at him. 

“Hah,” he laughed. “You know me - I’m a man of the biz. So I need to know what I get out of it.” 

“Know what, Kirk…” she said, leaning in to grip his face between her fingers and digging her nails ever so slightly into the flesh of his cheeks, “I sometimes get the impression that you forget you’re not from around here. Pop into Heywood for the occasional visit, sure, but you live far, far away, in Pacifica.” The bodyguard started to reach for his gun, but Kirk lifted a hand to signal him to back off. 

“What’re you gettin’ at,” he said, returning her steely gaze.

“Gettin’ at you prolly needin’ to think before you start somethin’ with a local son,” she hissed in his face. 

“Hmm… I’m open to other options,” he said coolly. 

With that, V released his face from her grip, leaving reddish crescent moon-shaped impressions behind. Kirk slid the magazine he had been reading over to her side of the table. She picked it up. On the page it read "Car of the month: The Legend of Aerondight." Beneath was a holo of a ridiculous, chromed-out luxury vehicle. V glanced at him over the magazine. “What am I s’posed to be lookin’ at?” 

“Preem ride there on the page. Only four of ‘em in NC as of now. One - Rayfield regional director. Two - Mayor Rhyne. Three -” he chuckled, “a rental service.”

“Uh-huh. And four?” she asked impatiently.  
  
“Number four’ll belong to my client - just as soon as _you_ klep it for me, that is.”

V considered for a moment, looking between the magazine and Kirk. Finally she set the zine back on the table. “I do this,” she said, pointing a finger at the relevant page, “and Pepe’s debt is squared?”

“Course! I’m a man of my word, you know that,” he sneered. Then his face went serious, down to business. “Whole thing’s simple: you swipe the Rayfield for me, I clear Pepe’s account. Even toss in a cut for you, I’m such a nice guy.”

“Tch-” V scoffed.

Kirk gave her an impatient stare before continuing. “My man Rick works a parking structure by Embers, club where our Rayfield driver likes to kick it. There every Friday night like clockwork. Soon as you appear, security cams shut down, gate swings up - the road is yours. Just gotta grab the Rayfield and roll out. Simple,” he finished with a wide, sly grin.

"Plan seems shakey as fuck," V stated bluntly.

"This ain't no setup, V. Heard you got a good head. Maybe we help each other make a few eddies."

“How am I supposed to do this?” she asked, gesturing towards the zine on the table. “Expect me to slide under the chassis on a skateboard for a quick hotwire, fast an’ easy? Kirk, wheels like this got security systems. Good ones,” she finished, exasperated. 

He lifted a hand to pause her before reaching into his pocket and pulling out some kind of tech. “This bitty bob works like the key Rayfield techs use for repairs. Opens locks, bypasses identity authorization.”

She side eyed him, one brow raised. “A skeleton key for all Rayfields in the city. Agh, c’mon, Kirk, even you don’t buy that,” she said incredulously. 

“Kabuki’s tech wizards sell more magical shit than this under the counter. Have a little faith. So…” he paused, “we all agreed, then?”

“Best keep your word, Kirk,” she said threateningly.

“Eeeaasy, V. Job’s gonna pad your wallet too, y’know.” She definitely had to admit that she needed the payout, but she wasn’t going to let Kirk see that. “Head to Embers, in the Glen, Rick’s in the garage, be waitin’ for ya. You two’ll hit it off. Good luck out there. We’ll be in touch.”

The bodyguard slid out from the booth to let her leave. She got up, grabbing the tech as she did. Turning to the grunt, she gave him a last pointed look. “Got some grease on your shirt, there, tough guy.” He was left blustering as she walked away.

On her way out of the alley towards the main street, V encountered a couple of men huddled around the trunk of a car. One of the men turned to her while she approached; the other slammed the trunk shut, but not before she glimpsed the body inside. 

“Well, who do we have here…” The older man facing her said with a raspy voice. “V… long time. Didn’t know you were around.” 

“Sebastian Ibarra - haven’t changed a smidge,” V said with a smile. 

“No one calls me by my name anymore. Almost forgot how it sounds,” he said wistfully. 

“How’re things, Padre?”

“The same. Heywood - nothing ever changes here. I’d rather hear about you.”

“Got back from Atlanta a few weeks ago.”

“See you got a good down-home welcome,” he said, gesturing to her bruised nose. “How was it back east?”   
  
“Tell ya later, got somethin’ on my plate…”

“How about you fill me in now? We’ll give you a ride. Marcus, Let’s go.” He gestured to the other man, who opened the rear passenger door. V slid into the back seat next to Padre, and Marcus closed the door behind her before getting into the driver’s seat.

“So where to?” Padre asked.

“The Glen,” she replied. “Drop me off at Embers.”

“Front door?” he asked, surprised.

V chuckled. “Take the ramp, back of the bar. Show you where to stop.”

“You heard her, Marcus.”

Marcus pulled the car back onto the road and began cruising it through the streets of Night City.

There was a pause before Padre picked up the conversation. “Your return to NC has been good? Busy already?”

V leaned against the window, head propped up on her elbow. She was quiet for a moment while she figured out what to say, watching the neon lights and blazing animated billboards go by. “Two years gone by, not much has changed,” she replied cryptically.

“You know Heywood," Padre replied. "It has strong roots - ever watered by the same blood.” She knew he meant this both metaphorically and literally. “Now, tell me about you.”

“Aw, pick up somethin’ here and there. Nothin’ major,” she said nonchalantly. “But I’m gettin’ by. ‘Preciate the concern.” 

“So… Atlanta didn’t turn out like you expected, huh?” he said without malice.

“As you can see, I’m back. If it’d been any better there, wouldn’ta left.” She shrugged.

“Maybe it’ll all work out for the best…” he trailed off contemplatively.

As they continued to cruise along, another car suddenly pulled up beside theirs, honking aggressively. 

“Shit!” Marcus hissed.

Padre leaned forward and gently patted him on the shoulder. “Stop the car,” he said calmly. 

“What’s going on?” V questioned. 

“Business,” was Padre’s cool response. “You carryin’?”

V’s window rolled down, and a totally cybered-up gonk with barely any human flesh left on him approached. 

“Sebbastian Ibarra,” he said menacingly as he leaned over the window, one arm dangling in with gun in hand. 

“What do you want?” Padre asked, unfazed. 

“To settle our biz. Once and for all,” the thug growled. “Got an offer for ya, Paddy, so listen up. Get the fuck outta Vista, pull your boys off the street,” he demanded. “I’ll give ya the Glen, done deal. No more restless nights. See how generous I can be?” There was a pause. “Well, Paddy, what’s it gonna--”

“One more fuckin’ word…” V yelled, finger pointed into his face.

“Stay outta this! I don’t know you…”

“And I don’t know you, which means you’re worth shit around here and capable of even less,” she snapped back. “Well? Anything else?”

“It seems our conversation has come to a close,” Padre said with laughter in his voice.

The gonk scowled. “Careful, Padre. Never know who’s got a barrel at your six. You neither, shitbucket,” he said in V’s face. 

She spit out the window as he walked away. 

“Marcus, please,” Padre said in a request to get them moving. Once they were back on their way, Padre turned to her. “I’m pleased to see you have not forgotten your roots, still have the gift,” he said with a subtle smile. Then his face went serious. “So many of the little shits left around here… their spines go soft when they look down a barrel.”

“Who was that guy?” V asked.

“No one important. He’ll be gone in a week’s time, another will come in his place.”

“He pulled iron on you,” she pronounced emphatically.

“He did. And he will pay for doing so,” was Padre’s cool reply. 

They arrived at her destination. “Pull up here,” she said pointing. “Right here. I’ll just drop down below. 

Padre pulled something from his pocket. “Here, before you go.” He handed her his card. 

“Your number?”

“Could be useful. Maybe we can work together again - take ourselves back two years.”

“Thanks, Padre.” V replied earnestly. She gave him a grateful smile. “Gotta go.”

“So go with God,” he said as she exited the car. 

She jumped over the rail, onto a dumpster, and then to the alley below, approaching the elevator of the targeted garage. Once she entered and hit the pad to select the parking level, the doors closed and her phone began to ring. It was the rat.

“V, status?” Kirk asked.

“On location. ‘Bout to find your man.”

“Rick’s one of the good guys, you’ll see. I trust ‘im like a brother.” 

She rolled her eyes, because that meant _so_ much coming from Kirk. V entered the garage and used her optics to take a quick scan, then made her way over to the security booth.

"You Rick?" she asked the man behind the glass.

"Yup. You with Kirk?"

"Yep."

The security guard flipped a switch behind his protective barrier.

"Cameras're blind. You got twenty minutes."

She wandered around, scanning the various cars looking for the Rayfield, until she spotted the bright neon ‘VIP’ lights indicating the space. “Wow, subtle. Kirk, I see the ride.”

“Your moment to shine, kiddo. Good luck.” 

_‘Eugh…’_ she thought to herself. The sound of him calling her ‘kiddo’ felt like slime down her back. _‘Whatever. Get the job done. Help Pepe. Get paid.’_

“Let’s take this piece of wondertech for a whirl,” she said aloud, activating the piece.

“You’re a woman of little faith,” Kirk chided. To her surprise, the driver's side door slid open. “See? We're rich. Now fire ‘er up and call me when you’re underway. Tell you where to go.”

V slid into the driver's seat of the ultra luxury vehicle. All of the windows were shuttered by armored metal; they would only open once the car was activated. The inside was sleek and clean. She had never been inside such a nice ride. “Hm. Looks like this’ll be a cool breeze,” she said to herself, smiling. 

Her smile quickly dropped when a red warning symbol was projected onto the windshield and the car began making strange beeping and clicking noises. _‘That can't be good.’_

Suddenly the windshield plating went down and the door slid open to reveal a barrel pointed in her face. “Get the fuck out,” a deep voice said calmly. She slowly looked up, past the barrel of the gun, and into the face of the man holding it. Seeing those intense green eyes she realized why that gruff voice had sounded so familiar. 

She looked up at him through lidded eyes. With her sweetest smile and her most velvety voice, she said, “Hola, Papi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter! Feedback is always welcome.


	4. Strike Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Jackie's initial shock at encountering the same woman he'd met briefly at El Coyotea few weeks ago, things go south very quickly.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Police Violence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a couple subtitles in this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks again to my dear friend Wholesome_Gay for helping me edit these last two chapters.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Hola, Papi.”  
  
Jackie stood dumbfounded, his gun still pointed at the woman in the car. V sat there cool as glass, smiling at him ever so sweetly, slender hands in the air. He hadn’t recognized her at first, with her street clothes and the rim of her cap obscuring her face. As soon as she looked up at him, though, he was hypnotized all over again by her fearsome gaze - so much so that he nearly forgot she was sitting in the car _he_ was supposed to be jacking.

He swallowed hard before repeating, “I said get the fuck out.” 

“Okay, Papi, easy. No need to point that gun in my face,” she said, smooth as silk. She slowly reached forward and put a hand on his, never breaking eye contact, and ever so gently started to push the gun to the side.

Finally, Jackie shook himself out of it, pointing the gun back at her. “Nothin’ personal, compa, just biz.”

The sweet look dropped from her face in an instant, and now she clearly did mean business. It was as if death herself was glaring back at him. “Just biz, huh?” She surprised him by slowly stepping out of the car, the barrel of his gun now at her chest. She had the look of a viper about to strike. “You think you’re the man?” She took a step forward; he took a step back. “Think you can just waltz up and snag what I already put in the work to steal?” Another step. “I’m sorry, who are you anyway, cabrón?” She took one more step and now she was right up in his face, eyes boring into his. “I don’t think I caught your name.”

Before he could respond, the screeching buzz of sirens blared through the parking garage. “Que chingados?” he said, turning away to see where they were coming from. V took the opportunity to smack the gun out of his hand and throw a hard left hook into the side of his face.

“Puta madre!” he yelled, turning back to face her. “What the fuck!”  
_"Son of a bitch!"_

“I’m not your friend or anything just ‘cause the cops show up! ¡Pinche pendejo!” she shouted over the sirens. “FUCK!”  
_"Fucking idiot!"_

As the cop cars screeched into place around them, they both put their hands in the air. 

“NCPD! Drop your weapons!” blared over the loudspeakers. 

“You’re under arrest!” 

“Don’t move!” 

“Hands where I can see ‘em!” 

“On the ground motherfuckers, now!” They were both thrown to the ground and pinned down as cops surrounded them. Their heads were held down facing each other, and he could see and feel her seething at him. 

A man stepped out in front of the vehicles. “Jackie Welles, my old pal from the ‘hood. See you haven’t grown an ounce wiser.”

V laughed at that. Jackie shot her a look before twisting his head as best he could to face the man. “Hey, Detective Stints! Been a while, huh?”

“ _Inspector_ Stints,” the man replied coldly.

“Same shit,” Jackie scoffed. He grunted as the officer holding him down pushed his head back down, his face scraping against the concrete. 

“Speakin’ of,” Stints said, turning towards V, ”-your mug’s familiar, too. Left for Atlanta, lookin’ for a slice of happiness. Guess you didn’t find it.”  
  
“How about that - a pig that chatters,” she sneered.

He knelt down in front of her. “I’ve always maintained it’s the same for all you termites in Heywood. Born here, live here, die here. Looks like I was right.”

“You’re as much a fuckin' termite as me, Stints. Only difference is now you’re a termite rollin’ in the mud with the pigs,” she spat back at him. Jackie smirked a little at the sight of her. Even with a cop pinning her to the ground she was venomous as ever.

He turned his attention back to the inspector. “Hey, c’mon, Stints, give us a break, huh? You lock us up, we’ll just jerk off till trial, and then what?” he reasoned. “Worst case, agh, we get some months. Hell, standin’ room only nowadays in el bote, so… we’ll prob’ly be out early-”

“Are these the thieves?” came an accented, pompous voice from behind them. 

“Fuck, he’s here,” Stints muttered under his breath.

“Ordinary street trash,” the second man said as he came around in front of them, looking down his nose at them in disgust. He was backed by two hulking, masked bodyguards. 

“Got ‘em in custody, Mr. Fujioka. We’ll be takin’ ‘em now.” Stints was clearly uncomfortable dealing with this corporate prick.

“It’s a waste of effort. I have no time to testify or play at an investigation.” 

“Suggestin’ we let ‘em go, sir?” Stints questioned.

The corpo rat got up in Stints face, stabbing a finger at his chest. “I suggest you toss them in the sea-” Fujioka turned to leave, “-cuffed legs broken so this trash doesn’t float.”

Stints sighed and looked to the ground, pacing for a moment before finally saying to the other cops, “Well… you heard ‘im.”

“Fuuuuck…” Jackie groaned. He glanced over at V who wasn’t even looking at him, just glaring at the concrete. He couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Then he watched as she was turned face up. A second pig approached her and snapped out his batton, lifting it high over his head to strike. V threw her arms up in defense.

“No!” Jackie yelled as the batton came down hard onto her face, knocking her out cold. He didn’t even notice the officer hovering over him until it was too late and the world went black.

* * *

V came to laying in some back alley, sprawled over some steps after being tossed out of a cop car. 

“Motherfucker,” she groaned, realizing her nose was broken - again. She braced herself and snapped it back into place. “Agh!”

She sat, head spinning slightly, trying to figure out where the hell she was. She could hear the sirens fading away in the distance. Was she still in Heywood? She looked at her still shaking hands before a voice spoke up.

“Honestly, for a sec there, things looked iffy.” said the man from the bar, sitting on the stairs next to her and rubbing at his wrists, bruised from handcuffs. _“Jackie,”_ Stints had called him. “Wasn’t sure we’d worm outta that alive,” he said contemplatively.  
  
She stared at him for a moment in disbelief at how quickly his demeanor had changed towards her. He sounded so casual, almost chipper. “Same!” she said punching him in the arm, but not with her full strength this time. 

“¡Oye!” he said, rubbing his arm in mock pain and cracking a smile. It was infectious, despite the dried blood running down his nose and mouth from their encounter with the cops.

The corner of V’s lips quirked up ever so slightly, but then she looked away, taking in their surroundings. “For real, though, Stints is out to get people, wound tight. Though, he does have a little honor left.”

“Really think his sense of honor saved us?” Jackie replied skeptically.

“Well… and the fact that he’s Heywood born and bred like us.” She shrugged. 

Jackie shook his head and sighed. “If I hadn’t come, you’d be cruisin’ Night City in sexy wheels right now.”

“Tch. Nah, c’mon. Job was toxic from the start,” she began.

“Wait, what?” he looked at her, shocked.

“Yeah, even Kabuki under-the-counter magic can’t get around an alarm like that. And that guard friend o' Kirk's prolly flipped a switch to call the pigs, not shut off the cameras. Should've known I’d have the PD on my ass.”

There was a pause as they both sat on the steps, leaning forward with their arms on their knees. V was losing herself in the sliver of blue sky that was visible between all of the buildings and highways overhead. 

“So-” Jackie’s voice brought her back down to earth “-maybe now, as God ordained. Jackie Wells,” he said turning to face her. 

“V,” she responded, facing him as well. Then her brow crinkled in realization. “Wait, Welles? Like… Mama Welles?”

“She’s my blood, all right. Coyote’s her dive,” he replied with a proud smile.

“Thought I recognized the name...” She shuffled the toe of her boot on the gravel. Was this going to put her on the radar of Mama Welles? Did that mean her time crashing at the bar would be over?

Clearing his throat, Jackie began, “You know, it’s strange we never met before-”

“Got the job to steal those wheels at the Coyote,” she cut him off, not wanting to bring up that night at the bar, afraid he’d figure she had been sleeping there since. “From Kirk.”

That was enough to distract him. “You work with that sewer slug?” he said with a grimace.

“Pepe owes him big and can’t afford to pay. Pepe’s done a lot for me, so I stepped up,” she said matter-of-factly. 

“Man, gotta wonder about Pepe, lettin’ slimy Kirk boss ‘im around like that.” Jackie shook his head.

“Heard what they say - he’s backed by cartels.”

“Cartels?” he scoffed. “No, no, listen. I know those cartel types, and I guarantee you none of ‘em have even heard of Kirk.” Scowling, he continued, “El cabrón’s gotta learn...he don’t do people in Heywood dirty.”

V couldn’t help cracking a smile at that. 

Jackie stood up and placed his hands on his hips, stretching. “C’mon, let’s go have some lunch,” he said turning back to her with a sideways grin.

“Lunch?” She side eyed him. 

“Haha, you would not believe my mama’s chili - best in town.”

“Just like that?” she said sarcastically.

“Gettin’ one of my good feelings,” he said, practically dancing with excitement.

“'Bout what?” V couldn’t help but ask. This had to be good.

“‘Bout us! Sense a kinda’ chemistry, y’know?” Jackie said, gesturing between the two of them. 

One brow raised and she looked back at him skeptically. 

“Not that kinda’ chemistry!” he said emphatically, putting his hands up in surrender. “I just think… we’d make a good team.” He waved a hand for her to follow. "C’mon. I’m fuckin’ starved.”

“Okay,” she chuckled, pushing herself up from the stairs. “Food it is. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!  
> In the next chapter I'll start exploring what happened during the time between the prologue and the first arc of the game. I'm excited! 
> 
> Feedback and comments are always welcome. :)


	5. Familia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackie takes V home, where they have a moment and she meets Mama Welles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot of Spanish in this chapter, so invisible subtitles beneath each paragraph. Just highlight the space beneath to view. :)
> 
> I'm also going to put a few definitions of frequently used words in the notes at the bottom.  
>   
> It's been about a month since I last posted because life has been hectic, but hopefully this long chapter makes up for that. :)

The unlikely pair made their way through the city on foot. They were both bruised and bloodied; Jackie still had streaks of dried blood running down his face, and yet he was eagerly pointing out every little detail of the city to V along the way. Night City itself had hardly changed, so not much was new to her, but it was lifting her spirits to watch so she let him go on. He would get ahead of her and then spin around, walking backwards to face her and explain what had changed or what violent, dramatic scenes had gone down at each spot during the past two years. It was like watching an excited kid and she couldn’t help but feel some of that infectious enthusiasm. When he nearly barreled over a man talking on the phone, who was now shouting at them as they passed, she couldn't help but snort out a laugh that grew into full on belly laughter. She doubled over, holding her stomach, laughing uncontrollably until she could hardly breathe. Finally, V was able to prop herself up with her hands on her knees and catch her breath. She couldn't remember when she'd last laughed like that; it had been ages.

"Eres ridículo, ¿tu sabias?" she panted, wiping a tear from her eye with one finger.  
_ "You're ridiculous, did you know that?" _

"Whatever it takes to get you to laugh!," Jackie responded teasingly with a wide, satisfied grin.

"Hey, don't ruin it" she warned while returning his smile.

"Discúlpame, Mami. Just nice to hear is all."  
_ “Sorry, girl.” _

They continued on companionably as they made their way back to Heywood. V noticed as they neared their destination that Mama Welles' apartment wasn't too far from El Coyote. Thinking of Mama Welles, it felt odd to be meeting the mother of this man she barely knew, not to mention the fact that V had been crashing at her bar without her knowledge. Nervousness began to buzz in the back of her mind as they approached the front door and she paused.  
  
"Hey, Jack, you sure this's okay. I’m not exactly the mother-pleasing type," she admitted. V’s priority had always been survival first and foremost, which sometimes meant playing the part of seductress and other times meant looking and acting the part of a person not to be messed with. Neither of these were the typical behavior of a ‘proper’ young woman.

"Claro, V. Mama ain't one to judge by appearances," he said before his eyes widened and he waved his hands in flustered embarrassment. "Not that there's anythin' to judge-"  
_ “Of course, V…” _

"Jackie-" she interrupted, holding up a hand to cut him off. "-I know exactly how I look an' the effect it has on people. It's intentional, and I'm happy with myself." V paused a moment to find the right words. "I’m just… not used t’this kinda thing. People don't usually bring me home to meet their parents, y’know?"

"Hey, V, no pressure. It’s just lunch. 'Sides, I think Mama's gonna like you; you’re a tough Heywood lady just like her," he said with a wide grin. 

"I dunno if I’d call myself a 'lady'," she chuckled. 

V took a deep breath as Jackie opened the door. "¡Mamá! ¿Estás a casa?" he shouted as they walked through the door. V let her eyes roam around the apartment. They entered immediately into the main living area. To the right was a seating area with couch and sofa facing the TV and holo projectors. The walls were littered with catholic iconography and crucifixes along with handmade decorations and photographs. There were paintings on some of the walls, including a beautiful painting of La Virgen de Guadalupe and the Valentino insignia.  
_ “Mama, are you home?” _

“Mi hermano mayor Raúl los pintó. Tenía talento, ¿no?” Jackie asked having noticed her staring at the paintings.  
_ “My big brother, Raul, painted them. He was talented, right?” _

“Son hermosas”, she replied.  
_ “They’re beautiful.” _ _  
_ _  
_ “Yeah, Mama let ‘im loose in El Coyote, too. His stuff’s all over the walls there,” Jackie said with a smile. V could hear the sadness in his voice as she thought back to all of the large murals painted throughout El Coyote and how they glowed in the neon lights of the bar.

Further back in the apartment V thought she glimpsed movement within a kitchen. Directly in front of them there was a table with comfy, worn in looking seating around it. There was a pot of something warm resting on top of a hot plate on the table. The delicious smell of home cooked food, heavy with spices, made her mouth water and stomach grumble. Just as Jackie reached out to lift the lid and grab a taste, a lightning fast hand came out to smack his away. "Jaquito Welles! Tu sabes major de eso! ¡Pórtate bien enfrente de nuestra visita!"  
_ “Jaquito welles! You know better than that! Behave in front of our guest!” _

Jackie recoiled his hand, scrunching up his face, and V smiled at the scene. Mama Welles seemed to have materialized out of thin air. A woman in her mid fifties with slightly longer than shoulder length dark silver hair and casual but flattering clothing, she was no taller than V. It was a wonder how her son had grown to be such a giant. Her eyes were kind, but held the look of a soul who had lived through a lifetime of hardship and heartbreak.

"Bueno, ahora ¿quién es esa hermosa?" Mama Welles said, turning to V and grasping both of her hands between her own.  
_ “Well, now, who is this lovely woman?” _

The immediate warmth of this greeting had V taken aback. "M- me llamo V," she stuttered.  
_ “I- I’m V.” _  
  
"Encantada," Mama Welles replied smiling, before greeting V with a besito and a hug. "Now-" she said, stepping back and placing her hands on her hips. She looked them both over head to toe. "-you're both filthy. Go clean yourselves up before food. I don't want you getting all that blood and dirt on my furniture," she said waving them both towards the stairs to the left of the front door. "V, if you'd like you can shower and borrow some clean clothes. Jacquito, help her find something," she commanded.  
_ “Pleased to meet you.” _ _  
_ _  
_ “Claro, Mamá,” he replied with a smile, rolling his eyes. Jackie pulled his mom into a bear hug, much to her chagrin.  
_ “Of course, Mom.” _

“¡Déjame, Jackie! ¡Me vas a ensuciar!” she protested.  
_ “Stop it, Jackie! You’ll get me dirty!” _ _  
_ _  
_ He released his mother with a kiss on top of her head and chuckled as she swatted him away. "C'mon V, I'll show you the way." Jackie motioned with his head toward the stairs. 

"Th- thank you, Mama Welles," V said. It had been so long since she'd had a real shower and fresh clothes. 

"V, por favor, just call me Mama," she replied, smiling back at V’s bewildered face.

They walked upstairs and turned down a hall. When they arrived in a room that V assumed to be Jackie’s, he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Told you she'd like you," he said huffing a laugh. "Uhh...you can borrow one of my old shirts. It'll pro'ly be big on you, but I'm pretty sure Mama’s got some old jeans you can wear that’ll fit better."

"That'd be great," V said, fidgeting with the hem of the dirty shirt she was currently wearing. Jackie rummaged around his room, grabbing a t-shirt for her with the logo of a band that was popular during their teen years. There was no way it would have fit on his enormous, barrel chested frame now. He handed it to her and left the room for a moment to grab her some of Mama Welles’ old jeans.

V examined the room while she waited for Jackie. As was typical of many apartments in Night City, Jackie’s room was an open space divided into different cubbies. The sink and mirror were along one wall across from the bed, and the shower cubby was around the corner behind the bed, shielded by a wall of glass. In another corner was a well-loved punching bag, duct taped in multiple places to keep the sand from leaking out.  
  
Jackie came back, bringing the jeans and a towel, and set them down on top of a dresser. Without thinking, V set the t-shirt on top and began removing her clothes. Once she had removed her jacket and muscle tee, leaving her torso exposed save for her breast band, she realized she should probably wait until Jackie was gone. She looked up at him, hands hovering over the clips of her band.

Jackie's face flushed. "I'll just, uh… I'll just leave you to it. I can clean up in the other room," he said, fumbling around to get some fresh clothes for himself.

"Thanks," she replied awkwardly.

"Claro," he said over his shoulder, waving a hand as he stumbled out the door.  
_ “Sure.” _

Now that she was alone, V was finally able to release herself from the rest of her soiled clothes. It was a relief to be free of the blood and dirt caked garments. Stepping into the shower, she turned the nobs to let loose the water. At first it shot out icy cold and she yelped in surprise. 

"Estás bien?" Jackie’s voice came calling through the door.  
_ “You okay?” _

"Fine," she yelled back. After the water warmed to the point of steaming, V could feel her sore muscles beginning to relax. It had been so long since she'd had a real shower, and her body had certainly been taking a beating lately. She sighed and allowed herself a few moments to simply stand and enjoy the soothing sensation of warm water enveloping her. Then she looked around the cubby for some sort of soap, and found Jackie's body wash. It smelled pleasantly of sandalwood and musk, and she relished in the act of scrubbing all of the grime from her body, only slightly hesitating over her tender, injured spots. Blessedly, the man even had face wash, so she was able to fully cleanse away the last few weeks from her face and shaved scalp. After rinsing thoroughly and reveling just a bit longer in the warm water flowing over her body, she finally switched off the shower and stepped out into the now steam-filled room. 

After drying herself off with the towel that Jackie had left her, she felt like a completely new V. Eyeing the band she'd previously been wearing around her chest, she decided just to toss it into the trash. It was so worn and ragged that there was no point putting it back on, nor did she want to. She went to inspect herself in the mirror, wiping the fog away with her hand. Her face was swelling and badly bruised, a gash above her eye cutting slightly into the ink along her brow bone. There were a number of tender areas all over her body, but nothing that wouldn't heal in a couple weeks, especially with some salve or a MaxDoc inhaler. Once she’d inspected her wounds however, she realized something else. V ran her fingers along the muscles of her arms. She’d started to lose a bit of her muscle mass, despite the constant athletic activity she’d been getting during recent gigs. All of the exertion must have burned it right off despite the food she’d been getting from Pepe. 

“Shit. Need to eat more,” she muttered to herself. Easier said than done when the gigs she got were paying shit. 

"Hey, V, I got some-"

V’s head swiveled to look towards the door where Jackie stood frozen with something in his hands. He was staring at her with his lips parted, wide eyes roaming slowly over her naked body. Suddenly bashful, she adjusted her arms to cover her exposed breasts, the hairs all over her body standing on end.

"S-sorry," he said, catching himself and averting his gaze, face turning beet red. He cleared his throat. "Wasn't expectin’... I’m not used to… uh… should’ve knocked-"

"S’fine", she blurted. "Just… gimme a sec."

Jackie turned to face out into the hall, and V pulled on the loose-fit, high-waisted jeans from Mama which were near enough her own size to suffice. Then she pulled on Jackie's old band shirt. Even though it was from his teen years, it was still large on her, especially after the last few weeks. She cuffed up the sleeves as far as she could and cinched it around her waist with a knot. It would do, and it was clean. Rubbing her thumb over the fabric of the shirt, she could feel it was worn soft from use. It must have been one of Jackie’s favorites, once.

“Bueno, que onda?” she asked, turning to face Jackie.  
_ “Okay, what’s up?” _

He turned around to face her, holding open his hands to reveal the salve and MaxDoc he’d brought. “I thought… well we both took a helluva beatin’. Thought these could help.” He reached out offering her the inhaler. It was like he’d read her mind. 

“Thanks,” V replied with a half smile, taking the inhaler from his hand. As she did their fingertips brushed and she felt her skin tingling; she ignored this sensation. Bringing the inhaler to her lips, she pressed down and breathed in deeply, holding her breath before exhaling. She caught Jackie's eyes darting to her chest as she breathed, but didn't say anything.

The medicine almost instantly began easing the pain, giving her a slightly fuzzy feeling throughout her entire body. It would speed up her body's natural healing abilities. “Your turn,” she said, handing the inhaler back to Jackie. He was so much larger than her that he had to use it twice, exhaling with a satisfied sigh. 

“Hits the spot, huh?” Jackie said with a cheeky grin. 

V just laughed in response. She began to reach for the salve but stopped. "Hey, can you give me a hand? I've got a few bad spots on my back, and I can't reach ‘em myself."

"Claro," he said, a hint of a flush returning to his face. 

V turned to face the mirror and pulled the back of the shirt over her head so that her arms stayed in the sleeves and her chest remained covered. She winced as the action aggravated the large, multicolored bruise blooming on her back from the harsh impacts of a cop's baton. Thankfully, the medication was easing the pain enough for her to stand still as Jackie unscrewed the lid of the jar and began applying salve to the wound. She winced a bit, but the gentle circular motions he used were actually soothing. The chill of the salve made her hairs stand on end again, and a soft sigh escaped her lips. Realizing her laps in self control, she blushed and glanced up at Jackie’s face in the mirror. He was still focused on her back, a look of concerned concentration on his face. V looked around to find something, anything, to talk about and lighten the mood. The mirror had lots of old stickers in the corners that looked like someone had tried and failed to peel them off: probably from when he was younger. On the counter sat a large crucifix, and next to it a rosary. 

"Oye, hold still!" He said as she reached for the rosary. She held it in her hand, running her fingertips over the beads and remembering. It had been a long time since she'd held one.

"Your mom's really great," she said wistfully. "You're lucky to have her."

"Yeah, I know," he said. In his reflection she could see him smiling. "She worries over me. I'm the last Welles boy standin' an’ it's hard on her, with the kinda work I do. Sometimes she drives me crazy with her worryin', but I love her," he finished warmly. He glanced up at V in the mirror as he tended her back. "How 'bout you, any family?"

She set the rosary back on the counter, shutting out old memories. "Nope, just me."

Jackie's eyes returned to her back after a moment. She was grateful he didn't press any further. "Okay, all done," he said finally.

She shrugged the shirt back over her head, careful not to jostle her injuries this time. "Thanks. You need any help?" She asked. 

"Uh… sure." He said, lifting up his shirt.

V tried to disguise her wandering eyes with the pretense of examining him for injuries. She gently ran her hand and her gaze across the serratus muscles along his ribgage, feeling each individual ridge, and down to where they met his abs. Jackie sucked in his breath as she touched him. V swallowed hard, running her eyes over the muscles of his chest before saying, "Think you got some bruised ribs. Salve should help though." She took a bit of the balm and began spreading it over the discolored areas of his torso. As she rubbed her fingertips across his ribs he began fidgeting, his abs tensing as a high pitched laugh escaped him. 

"You ticklin' me, Mami!"

"Hah! Big tough guy has a soft spot, huh?" she said teasing him by fluttering her fingers across the sensitive spot.

He laughed again, wincing and gripping his side. "Stop, V, you making me ache."

"Sorry," she said giggling as she pulled her hand away. She told herself she wasn’t a little sad to watch as he pulled his shirt back over his head.

"Thanks, güey. Think I got it from here" she said, turning away from him, the jar of salve still in her hand. Facing herself in the mirror, V began gingerly applying a small amount to her badly beaten nose. She hissed as it flared under her slightest touch and the jar tumbled into the sink. Her face had taken a double thrashing, first from the attempted mugging and then from the cops, and the MaxDoc was not cutting through the pain.

“Let me help, V,” Jackie said, reaching for the salve. V hesitated at first, but then she turned to face him. She watched as he scooped a bit of salve onto his fingers. Closing her eyes, she sucked in her breath in anticipation of the pain as his hand moved towards her face. To her surprise, as he began gently spreading the salve along the corner of her brow, the pain was not nearly as bad as she had expected. Her face relaxed under his gentle touch. After a moment her eyes opened to see his face mere inches from her own, and her heart jumped in her chest. His own eyes were focused on the task of tending her wounds; he was now softly applying the balm to her beaten nose. She hoped he didn’t notice her flush.  
  
Jackie moved on to the scrape along her jaw which she'd acquired when one of the cops had thrown her to the ground. He ran his thumb ever so softly along her jaw as he worked; she hardly felt the sting of the wound or the salve. As he finished, his eyes finally made contact with hers. His hand stayed where it was, gently caressing her jaw between his thumb and fingertips. As she stared into his blue-green eyes she noticed the flecks of gold and freckles of brown in the irises. She bit her lower lip, drawing his gaze to her mouth. V could feel the slight pull of his fingers on her jaw as their faces drew closer. Her eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted, feeling his warm breath against her…

But then, she felt his hand fall from her face. She opened her eyes as he cleared his throat and took a step back, twisting the lid back onto the jar and setting it onto the counter, no longer making eye contact with her. 

“We oughta head down,” his voice cracked a bit. “Mama’ll be wondering about us.”

She leaned back against the counter, remembering now that he'd mentioned being in a new relationship when they first met. She put on a straight face. ”Right, yeah.”

V followed Jackie down the stairs trying to act as if nothing had happened. _'Well, nothing did happen. And why should I even care.'_ She told herself.

* * *

Mama Welles was waiting for them at the dinner table as they came down. V's mouth began to water as she once again breathed in the scent of spices, now intermixed with the fresh scent of homemade tortillas. 

"V, come, sit with me," Mama Welles requested, patting the seat beside her. V obliged her, sliding onto the cushioned seat. "Look at you, you need to eat," Mama Welles fretted as she served V a nearly overflowing bowl of chili and a plateful of tortillas. 

V wanted to be polite, so she patiently waited as Mama Welles began to serve herself and then Jackie. It was torture. "Don't be shy, mija!" Mama Welles said, gesturing towards V with the wooden serving spoon. "Eat!"

That was all the permission V needed. She dug into the food, savoring the meat and spices, the freshness of the tortillas as she used them to scoop the chili. Her bowl was empty before she realized it, and Mama Welles smiled at her warmly. "Have some more, mija," she said, already filling her bowl.

V took it from her gratefully. "Thank you, Mama Welles. This is the best food I've had in I dunno how long."

"Told you," Jackie interjected between mouthfuls, "Best chili in Night City." He winked at his mother, who pretended to wave away his complement.

"I don't know about the best in Night city," Mama Welles said with mock seriousness, before lookin at V with a sly smile, "but maybe the best in Heywood."

"Best in the world if you ask me," V said earnestly, relishing her second serving. 

"So V, tell me about yourself." Mama said. "How did you meet my Jackie?" 

V snorted out a laugh at both the question and the look Jackie gave her, silently begging her to censor the story.

"Well, uh, we met a few weeks ago at El Coyote. I basically just got back to town then. Pepe introduced us," she said giving Jackie a sideways grin. He pretended to focus on his food, but he couldn't hide the slight blush in his cheeks. "We've done some jobs here and there together since," she finished, turning back to Mama Welles.

"And I suppose it's one of these jobs that had you coming home filthy with blood again?" Mama said, giving Jackie a steely glare. 

"Yes-" V interjected. "-we’ve had a gig as bouncers. Just had some rough customers last night is all. 

"Hmm." The skeptical expression on Mama's face said clearly that she wasn't buying it, but she didn't press further. Something told V that if she wasn't there Jackie would be getting an earful. 

"You have family in the city?" Mama asked, returning her attention to V with a smile returned to her face.

V paused, unprepared to be asked this question for the second time in one day. "Uh, no, not anymore,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Been on my own for awhile now. Left town a couple years ago. Just got back recently."

"But you grew up in Heywood," Mama stated.

"Yep, my whole life." She tried to end it there, but both Mama and Jackie were looking at her with warmth and expectation. Sighing, she finally yielded. "There's not much to tell really. Parents died when I was little; got into debt with the wrong people and those people eventually came ‘round for their pound of flesh. Then I got passed from place to place, different relatives. Eventually I was on my own, so it's just been me for a long time." V was quiet now, absent-mindedly pushing the chili around in her bowl with a tortilla. 

"Well, now you have us," Mama said, patting the back of V's hand. "You have things? Jaquito will go get them."

"Huh?" V and Jackie questioned in unison. 

"Obviamente you're staying with us, V," mama replied resolutely.  
_ “Obviously…” _

"Mama, I couldn’t-"

"Nonsense, you're helping my son keep his head on his shoulders by going out there with him. The least we can do is give you a home to stay in. We have an empty room going to waste; you won't be imposing on anyone."

"I… don't know what to say," V responded with disbelief. This woman had only just met her and was inviting her to stay in her home? It was against her nature to accept help freely, but if she started working with Jackie she figured she could repay Mama in that way. "Thank you," she finally agreed, a feeling of relief flooding her.

"Perfecto," Mama Welles said, grinning widely. "Hijo, go to the bar and get her things."  
_ “Perfect. Son…” _

"Si, Mama," Jackie obediently replied, getting up from the table. 

"I- I'll go with you," V said. Sliding out of her seat.

"When you get back, the room will be ready for you. It’s small, but comfortable." Mama Welles smiled up at her.

"Thank you, so much," V said with the utmost sincerity.

"De nada, mija."  
_ “You’re welcome, sweetheart.” _

V followed Jackie out of the apartment and towards El Coyote. They walked in awkward silence for a while until Jackie cleared his throat. "Well, guess we're stuck with each other." He looked at her with a lopsided grin. "Mama really likes you, and there's no saying no to Mama."

"She's wonderful," V replied, shaking her head. "I can't imagine what she sees in me to let me into her home."

"Hey, Mama's a good judge of character,” he said seriously. “She can tell you gotta good heart." Suddenly Jackie wrapped an arm around her shoulder and drew her to his side; her heart stuttered again. "'Sides, we're partners now! Be a lot easier livin' in the same place. We're really gonna go places, V, you'll see," he said gesturing excitedly with his free hand. 

"Hey, let's get some real gigs first, yeah?" V said smiling. She playfully, and softly, elbowed him in the ribs, attempting to distance herself from Jackie and all of the emotions she was feeling. 

Jackie let go of her and grabbed his side. "¡Ay! ¡Me hieres!," he said melodramatically in his best impression of a novela character.   
_ Oh! You wound me!" _

"Pobrecito," she teased.  
_ "Poor thing." _

"Hey, you never know, mami, you could drop me dead on the spot." He grinned at her, walking backwards again. 

"Obviamente, güey. Podría destrozarte sin problema." She shook her head. "Eres ridículo."  
_ "Obviously, man. I could tear you apart, no problem. You're ridiculous." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Feedback is always welcome.
> 
> My Spanish isn't perfect because I'm mixed and my dad didn't speak much at home, but  
> I've absorbed some from family and studying on my own. Here are some Spanish words!:  
>   
> -Hijo: Son  
>   
> -Mija: Literally means my daughter, but can also be a term of endearment like sweetheart.  
> All of my aunts and uncles call me "mija" for example. Even people who aren't related to  
> me but are older than me will call me mija in friendly, casual situations.  
>   
> -Güey: Sounds like 'wey'. Can mean, guy, man, or dude. Very informal.  
>   
> -Mami: This is often used flirtatiously, and can be seen as rude or condescending in certain  
> situations. It can be a casual, affectionate thing to call a close female friend. In this context Jackie  
> is using it in a friendly way towards V. Mami or Papi is also something that you might call your  
> children affectionately, which sounds weird if you didn't grow up hearing it.  
>   
> -Claro: Sure, Of course  
>   
> -Oye!: Hey!


End file.
